My Publicist Note Book

Instead of Just a Racist The man who inspired Spike Lee’s new movie,  BlacKkKlansman , says that the man he conned forty years ago—none other than the KKK’s Grandwizard David Duke—is concerned that the critically acclaimed new film might make him look stupid. The film, already considered to be one of Lee’s best in recent years, follows the journey of Ron Stallworth, Colorado Springs’ first black police officer, as he infiltrates the KKK. In an interview with NBC’s Lester Holt, Stallworth shared that Duke recently hit him up on the phone to talk about the movie. When asked if that was a fair description of how Duke is portrayed in  BlacKkKlansman , Stallworth responds, “in some areas, yeah. Spike made him look kind of stupid.” “But he was stupid in how this whole thing transpired 40 years ago,” Stallworth said. “For me, 40 years ago, with a high school diploma and 20 college credit hours, to con him the way I did and make a fool up out of him, it was ...

Warner Bros. is reportedly looking at big names, including Donald Glover and Ryan Gosling, to headline their upcoming  Willy Wonka  movie.  Directed by  Paddington's  Paul King, the film is said to be a prequel that could act as an origin story of sorts for the famed candy entrepreneur. One thing the project will  not  be, however, is another retelling of the popular  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory  novel that's been adapted for the big screen multiple times, meaning this will be an entirely new narrative for audiences to experience. Willy Wonka  first entered development back in 2016 and has been slowly coming together ever since. Now that King is on board to helm the film, the next order of business is finding an actor to portray the title character. And if people were dismissive of a Wonka prequel, the names WB is eyeing is sure to command attention and proves the studio is going the extra mile. The top of WB...

NYFF: How America’s Smartest Festival Can Make or Break the Quest for Oscars Richard Linklater’s “Last Flag Flying,” starring Bryan Cranston, Steve Carell and Laurence Fishburne as a trio of Marine vets, met a mixed reception opening night at the 55th New York Film Festival, as attendees of the glittery opening-night gala at Alice Tully Hall read the trade reviews at the Tavern on the Green afterparty. As a platform, the NYFF is alluring. Not only does it provide Oscar-level prominence, but there’s an element of auteurist approval: It’s the sophisticated American festival that truly loves film for film. However, that’s also one of the reasons that it can be a bigger risk: Like Cannes, highbrow festivals often mean critics with highbrow expectations. And when they aren’t met, the fall can seem extra-steep. NYFF Director Kent Jones, who calls awards season a “cottage industry,” doesn’t even track the festival’s Oscar record; getting picked for the NYFF is its own rewar...

Pirates of the Caribbean Captain Jack Sparrow had some interesting choices, and we often wondered what his big obsession with rum was all about, but one thing we didn’t think we could say about this crazy pirate was that he favored the Adidas brand. Because, judging from this movie shot, he does. As far as movie bloopers go, leaving the label on what is supposed to be period costume is probably not the best idea. We wonder who got fired for this whoopsie. Or if anyone spotted it before it went out to the masses? Spy Kids We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again – recording films when there are mirrors around is a very bad idea. Oh, and door knobs, as was the case in  The Matrix . But in this scene in  Spy Kids , you can very clearly see a cameraman trying not to be seen in the reflection of the right hand mirror. We wouldn’t mind but it’s not like the guy isn’t obvious. Perhaps he was put there on purpose to see if we were paying attention? Deadpoo...

View in Browser:   https://mypublicist.blogspot.com/2017/09/etiquette-unwritten-rules-of-movie.html People have been going to the movies for more than 100 years, but in a world increasingly dominated by the streaming pleasures of Netflix, Amazon, HBO, and more, a trek to the local multiplex has become both more sacred (if you're going to spend the big bucks, you want the experience to be perfect ) and less important. With all the conveniences of streaming, it's easy to forget that when you're in a theater watching a movie, you're  in a theater watching a movie . With other people. Not in your house. In. Public. Temporarily forgetting the real world is fine and all... until you realize you're sitting dead center in the middle of a movie theater surrounded by 99 people who each laid down $50 -- popcorn and soda ain't cheap! -- to take in the evening's entertainment. You can do better. You can avoid  a fistfight over the end credits. How? The Th...